Telecommunications networks connect hosts to allow data communication between various geographically distant locations. A control plane is employed to setup and manage data connections while employing traffic engineering (TE) protocols to optimize network efficiency. A data forwarding plane is employed to manage the forwarding of data packets along connections setup by the control plane. Data can be forwarded across wireless networks, optical networks, electrical networks, and electro-optical networks. Maintenance of data connections across various network types require consideration of differing connection constraints.